On August 23, 2023, Environmental Defenders awarded the first Kilimo Prize to 18 individuals and organizations. The laureates come from the Albertine region of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They received their awards at the inaugural Kilimo Prize ceremony in Mahagi Port, Wagungu chiefdom, Mahagi territory, DRC.
Environmental Defenders created the Kilimo Prize to strengthen farming, preserve nature, uphold human rights, and safeguard land rights in the Albertine region of Uganda and eastern DRC. The prize recognizes local environmental activists, communities, and organizations and helps build their skills. These are people who protect forests, land, water sources, wildlife, and trees. They also defend human rights and promote climate-smart agriculture at the local level. In Swahili, Kilimo means farming or cultivation.
Three award categories
Each laureate of the first Kilimo Prize received a cash award and a certificate. The awards honor their work to safeguard the environment, advocate for human rights, and advance sustainable agriculture. In total, Environmental Defenders awarded $15,000 across three categories.
Category one recognized eight laureates for protecting the environment, fighting climate change, and promoting climate justice. They also defend human rights and support sustainable livelihoods. Two were associations or community organizations, and each received $1,500. The other six were individual activists: five men and one woman.
Category two recognized two laureates, one woman and one man. Both raise awareness about environmental justice, help prevent illegal logging, and run their own environmental projects.
Category three honored seven men who fight bushfires. They put out fires whenever they break out in forests, parks, private reserves, and public land.
How the Kilimo Prize 2023 laureates were selected
Nominations for the 2023 Kilimo Prize opened on January 10, 2023, and closed on February 28, 2023. We spread the word through radio, churches, mosques, markets, community halls, hospitals, schools, and fishing villages. Chiefdoms, church institutions, NGOs, and community groups across the Albertine region also shared the call.
In the DRC, Environmental Defenders received 290 nominations from five chiefdoms of Mahagi territory: Wagungu, Angal, War Palara, Djukoth, and Panduru. In addition, more than 50 nominations came from Uganda, mainly from Pakwach, Buliisa, Masindi, Hoima, and Kikuube districts. In total, we received around 340 nominations, 315 for men and 25 for women.
From March 1 to May 25, 2023, Environmental Defenders teams, supported by Radio Terra FM, collected and checked nomination documents and candidate information. The process demanded careful attention to detail. Of the 340 nominees, the teams shortlisted 50 for interviews, site inspections, and due diligence. Most of the shortlisted candidates were from the DRC, and nine were from Uganda. Of the 50, 15 were women and 35 were men.
From June 11 to July 25, 2023, our teams visited each candidate in the field. They inspected sites, spoke with relevant experts, and confirmed the nominees’ activities. Finally, the selection committees chose 18 individuals and organizations as laureates across the three categories: 12 from the DRC and six from Uganda.
Meet the 2023 Kilimo Prize laureates
Adubang’o Awinga Tito, Angal Chiefdom
Adubang’o Awinga Tito was the leading laureate of the 2023 Kilimo Prize in Angal chiefdom, Mahagi territory. He was nominated for his tree planting and conservation work in his home village of Djupio. He has farmed there since 1980, planting trees, growing food crops, raising fish, and keeping bees.
He has planted 12,000 native trees of many species, along with other plants and fruit trees. A forester at heart, he has also built five fishponds, where he has raised Tilapia rendalli (redbreast tilapia) for 25 years. Today, his farm draws visitors and researchers to Djupio.
His goals are to prevent biodiversity loss, protect wetlands, improve soil fertility, and prevent erosion. He also wants to teach young people about agroforestry, tackle food insecurity, and pay for his children’s education. However, his challenges include climate change and a shortage of farming supplies. Some neighbors even accuse him of using supernatural powers. He plans to use his prize to expand his project, “Von Kwen,” by buying more land while maintaining his existing crops.
His Majesty Athindha Lostani Jean, Paramount Chief of Djukoth Chiefdom
The paramount chief of Djukoth received the Kilimo Prize for leading a major agroforestry project on 700 hectares across three hills in Djukoth chiefdom. He has planted native and non-native trees and protected water sources. Thanks to his example, farmers in Djukoth now plant trees too. Meanwhile, he grows coffee as an agroforestry approach to climate change. In addition, Chief Lostani is a well-known breeder of cattle and small livestock.
He started the project to address food insecurity, tackle climate change, and support his children’s care and education. He also wanted to set an example for his subjects. For a long time, they believed that a chief should not work and that subjects should support the chief through taxes. In addition, he has worked for peace. He helped people displaced by the conflict in Djugu to resettle in Djukoth and gave them land to farm. His challenges include a lack of funds for labor and insecurity caused by CODECO militias from Djugu. This insecurity has disrupted farming and harmed food security for many people in the chiefdom.
Georgette Wanito Anewa
Georgette Wanito Anewa, a farmer and environmental activist, received the 2023 Kilimo Prize for safeguarding land rights. She also empowers women through a Village Savings and Loan Association and fights gender-based violence in Mahagi territory. Through continuous tree planting, she has conserved 150 acres of land. She uses the trees for building materials, furniture, and cooking fuel.
She has helped 20 widows defend their land when their late husbands’ families began harassing them. With more than a decade of experience advising on land rights and property, she is a trusted authority among women in her community.
Georgette could not attend the ceremony. She gave birth to a baby boy on the day she was named a laureate, so her husband accepted the prize on her behalf. At a ceremony led by the chiefs of five chiefdoms, her newborn son was named “Kilimo” in honor of the day and the prize.
Environment in Danger Association (AED), Panduru Chiefdom
Ulama Sindani, head of the Environment in Danger Association (AED), accepted the Kilimo Prize on behalf of the group for its work promoting community forestry and land rights in Panduru chiefdom, Mahagi territory. Founded in 2017, the association teaches people about land laws and raises awareness of conservation. It uses education and community theater to inspire people to restore degraded land and protect water sources. Its current focus is restoring and reforesting Akara hill, where trees planted during the colonial era were cut down after independence. Since its founding, the group has planted more than 317,111 native trees, 101,602 eucalyptus trees, 602 pine trees, 42,000 lemon-scented eucalyptus (citriodora) trees, and 107,000 black wattle trees, among others.
The group also grows cassava, beans, and maize, although yields are modest. Recently, it started raising small livestock, with 12 goats, 6 piglets, 8 chickens, and 30 pairs of rabbits. Members say the planted forest on Akara hill has already brought more rain. However, the group lacks funds for basic tools such as hoes, picks, forks, and uniforms, and it also faces the effects of climate change.
Bedijo Ujanga David, Panduru Chiefdom
Bedijo Ujanga David is the leading laureate of the 2023 Kilimo Prize in Panduru chiefdom. Violent conflict forced him from Awu village in the Ngothe group, and he now lives with a host family in Ngothe Centre. Since 1990, he has planted more than 35,000 trees and protected 500 acres of land. He also grows food crops. Each year he produces about 20 bags of beans, 40 bags of maize, and 2,000 pineapples, plus 6 bags of soya a season. These harvests support his family and have allowed him to employ around 30 people.
He says he once owned 30 goats, 11 cows, and poultry, which were looted by CODECO militants operating in the area. Even though he is displaced, his agroforestry project protects him from hunger. To do so, he travels about 20 kilometers to his home community of Awu to collect fruit and vegetables. Over the years, his trees have also strengthened his ties with the community, which has built two schools, a health center, and two local churches using timber from them.
Ng’omudagu Tido Filemon, Wagungu Chiefdom
Ng’omudagu Tido Filemon, a 73-year-old farmer from Anguza Pajen in Wagungu chiefdom, received the Kilimo Prize for conserving land and protecting the environment and water sources. He has planted mango, cypress, lemon, avocado, and other trees. On the same land, cassava, yams, and sweet potatoes feed his family and community. His goals are to tackle food poverty, pay for his children’s education, and protect the environment by preventing erosion and storing carbon in trees.
Over 56 years of farming, Filemon has helped many children with school fees and food. In hard times, his mature trees have become a financial safety net. Throughout his life, he has been a community leader. Indeed, he promotes peace and healing, mentors young people on conservation, defends land rights, and mediates land disputes.
Action pour la Paix, le Développement et l’Émergence Intégrale (APDIE)
This Mahagi-based organization received the Kilimo Prize for promoting agroecology and climate-smart agriculture. It also fosters peace and justice in communities affected by the conflict in Djugu involving the CODECO armed group. APDIE plants trees, establishes community forests, and runs farming and livestock activities across Mahagi territory, with a focus on War Palara chiefdom.
Under coordinator Ugwoki Pithua, the group, based in Adu village, has maintained and expanded native forests for many years. This work eases the food and financial pressures caused by climate change. The group also runs an internal savings scheme to fund its work, support vulnerable members, and promote tree planting among other savings clubs. In addition, APDIE grows cassava, beans, and maize for its members and hopes to improve its agroforestry project.
Other Laureates
The other 2023 Kilimo Prize laureates included Marom Ku Mungu Mbe; His Majesty Paramount Chief Unencan Cobidongo of Wagungu; Haramazan Richard; Mungujakisa; One Aceronga; and Lienga, along with others whose names cannot be published for security reasons.
Origins of the Kilimo Prize
The Kilimo Prize was established by Environmental Defenders under the leadership of Gloria Ayiorwoth and Robert Agenonga. In 2021, Environmental Defenders was nominated for an international human rights and environmental justice prize awarded by a foundation in Europe. The nomination and review process involved interviews, email exchanges, site visits, and meetings. However, Environmental Defenders’ staff came to believe that the outcome had been decided in advance, before the scheduled interviews and visits took place. The experience raised serious concerns for us about the transparency of the selection process.
There are many international prizes of this kind, but their impact on the ground is often limited. Typically, large sums go to a small number of people, often between four and ten. The effects are not always visible, especially in low-income countries. Environmental Defenders was not selected, but the experience deepened our understanding of how cumbersome and opaque such processes can be.
After careful reflection, Environmental Defenders decided it was more meaningful to give smaller amounts to many individuals and organizations making significant contributions. Large sums for a few people may have less visible impact.
We are therefore grateful not to have received that award. The experience broadened our understanding and led us to launch our own prize. We plan to award it every year to those who deserve recognition at the local level.
The next Kilimo Prize will take place in 2024, between June and August, and details will be shared here. To support or sponsor the prize, please contact us at contact@watetezi.org. Read about the 2025 Kilimo Awards laureates, including Ulama Sindani of AED, and about our grant making program.